Arab News Japan

TOKYO: A photo of Tokyo Governor KOIKE Yuriko with Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen has caused controversy in Japan due to misrepresentations on social media. A fact-checking group discovered the photo was two years old and that the Ambassador has reposted it, implying he met with Koike on July 9, which was misleading.

The Japan Fact Checking Center said the Ambassador posted the photo on X, two days after the July 7 Tokyo gubernatorial election, alongside an English message: “Congratulations on your re-election as Governor of Tokyo! I hope the ties between Tokyo and Israel will be further strengthened.” This post came at a crucial time when the election results were still fresh in people’s minds. 

It was the Japan Fact Checking Center, an independent group dedicated to verifying the accuracy of public statements, that explained the photo attached to the post was taken two years ago when Cohen visited Governor Koike at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, not in the days following the Governor’s re-election.

The Israeli Ambassador’s post, which featured the photo and a congratulatory message, led many social media users to assume that the Governor had met Cohen following her re-election on July 7, demonstrating the potential consequences of misinformation. 

Renho of the Democratic Constitutional Party, who came third in the Tokyo gubernatorial election, commented: “Right after the election, I would not expect this sort of diplomacy. As a Tokyo resident, I am very disappointed.” Media outlets reported that Renho’s post was later deleted.

Renho wasn’t alone in jumping the gun. ISHIGAKI Noriko, a member of the House of Councilors also from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, posted on X on July 9, referring to the Ambassador’s post with the comment: “In the face of the genocide in Gaza, I think it is a great loss for Japan that someone like the Governor can do this.” 

As of July 12, the post had been viewed over 1.2 million times and reposted over 1,600 times.